DukeCity

Sturm und Drang Richard Wagner Lyle Wagonner Peter Matz Milton DeLugg Dick Stabile

Rowan & Martin Stiller & Miera Burns & Allen (I guess I just named six people)

I went to high school with a kid named Upper Manhattan Medical Group. I seem to recall that it was just a family name, and had nothing to do with the tune.

Hal Prince Hal Wallis

The way I have it organized in my little pea brain, when we're talking about an older pop song like Stardust, the first part is the verse, and the main part that one usually blows over is the refrain (the refrain consists of one or more 'choruses'). In more contemorary pop songs there is more of a scheme like: verse verse chorus verse chorus hook/chorus For example, the Bachman, Turner Overdrive classic "Takin' Care of Business" The verse is: They get up every morning from the alarm clock's warning Take the eight-fifteen into the city There's a whistle up above and people push and people shove And all the girls, who try to look pretty And if your train's on time you can get to work by nine And start your slaving job to get your pay If you ever get annoyed look at me I'm self-employed I love to work at nothing all day And the chorus (or possibly refrain) is: And I've been takin' care of business everyday Takin' care of business every way I've been takin' care of business it's all mine Takin' care of business and working overtime Workout But then, when you open it up for blowing on the wedding band gig, what part do you blow over? It's all so confusing...

Georgette Franklin Ted Baxter Murray Slaughter

What about Linda Brava? I always enjoyed her work on Baywatch.

I agree. They are uncredibly inmusical.

I can only imagine that the Basie Band would swing a lot harder with Trilok Girtu driving the bus.

HOLY SHIT, PHIL LOOK OUT BEHIND YOU!!!! nice article. any suggestions for intial listening?

why all the mezzo forte?

So I'm wandering around on eBay, and I do a search for saxophone mouthpieces using the search terms "otto link" (a well known brand of mouthpieces). The search returns lots of overpriced 'vintage' mouthpieces, and this item: a pair of cufflinks used as props in the film "In Harm's Way" by Otto Preminger. Who saw that one coming? Anyone else stumble on unexpected results on an eBay search?

Thanks for the response, Jim. Be checking your inbox. It looks like your financial future is going to be pretty bright, my friend!

Anyone (Jim?) have a lead on how to get the Quartet Out CDs? I'd like to get both titles: Welcome to the Party, and Welcome to the Meathouse. (tried to PM Jim Sangrey, but the messages were non-deliverable) Thanks!

Yeah, but the puppet has more realistic hair...

Bubba Smith Fran Tarkenton Mean Joe Green

... and a lovely personality it is, I'm sure. PM'ed you for both items.

Only 40 (or 43 depending on the source) years old, and found expired in his bed. Not many details, but CNN story here. He was in Resevoir Dogs and some other films. I always enjoyed his performances. RIP.

Thanks for the comments on Cannonball "Live", Sangrey. I don't know that side, but I'm gonna start lookin'. I know what you mean, Larry. I remember the first time I heard: Within a whole album of rather saccharine settings, I marveled at a couple of things: 1. The incredible beauty of Cannonball's sound on "I Cover the Waterfront" and 2. The ridiculous contrast in the arrangement of "Surrey with the Fringe on Top". The two-beat strings playing the bouncy 'swing' over the woodblock horse hooves, and then Cannonball comes in with his truly swinging break, and it totally kills! I don't think I've ever made it all the way through the record in one sitting (diabetic coma looms after a couple of cuts), but I've played that "Surrey" break over and over, just shaking my head and practically giggling with delight. Not to mention that cover shot of Cannonball leering at his Super 20!

Also a member of the Saturday Night Live Band for many years.

Felix Unger Oscar Madison Murray the Cop

Just saw this on Yahoo news: Music Sales Resumed Decline in 2005 By LAURENCE FROST, AP Business Writer Sun Jan 22, 6:44 PM ET CANNES, France - Recorded music sales resumed their decline in 2005, the industry's leading global body said Sunday, despite high-profile victories against piracy and a surge in online and mobile music store revenues. Global music retail revenues fell about 2 percent last year, said John Kennedy, chairman and CEO of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. In 2004 they remained flat at $33.6 billion, punctuating a four-year slide. The new downturn, based on data from three-quarters of the global market, underlined major challenges facing record companies as executives assembled for the music industry's largest European gathering, Midem, which is taking place this week in the French Riviera town of Cannes. The drop in overall sales came despite a threefold increase in digital music revenue to $1.1 billion from $380 million, while illegal file-sharing volumes changed little, according to a separate IFPI market report published Thursday. The federation sees total sales broadly unchanged in 2006. Record bosses are now having to look beyond piracy to explain the latest decline in revenues, which have fallen about 20 percent globally since 1999. "Piracy in all its forms has been the major factor in this reversal but not the only factor," said Eric Nicoli, chairman of EMI Group PLC, the world's No. 3 record company. Speaking at the MidemNet music technology forum, which preceded the main event, Nicoli also cited tougher competition from other categories of consumer goods. "Twenty years ago there were no mobile phones, no DVDs, no computer games to speak of," he said. "In categories that did exist, like magazines, cosmetics and designer clothes, we've seen a massive explosion of choice and accessibility to consumers. So no surprise, then, that music sales have come under pressure." EMI and other record companies are also pressing Apple Computer Inc. to allow more pricing flexibility on its iTunes Music Store, which charges the same rate for any song downloaded — 99 cents for U.S. customers. They have argued — so far without success — that they should be able to charge more for the most sought-after hits. Apple's iTunes accounts for about 70 percent of U.S. and British online music sales and has significant shares of its 19 other markets. Its popularity is widely credited with halting the growth of piracy, but record companies complain that this has come at the price of a loss of control over their own pricing and marketing. "One of the biggest mistakes we've made is to hand a monopoly to the retailer," said Alison Wenham, chairman and chief executive of the Association of Independent Music, which represents 800 indie labels. Some analysts see other reasons for the industry's current woes. "Executives have focused so much of their attention on piracy that they've diverted their efforts from developing new talent," said Phil Leigh of Inside Digital Media, a U.S. market research firm. Entertainment companies won a series of major court rulings against music piracy in 2005, including a June U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing them sue the file-sharing site Grokster for encouraging copyright infringement. Grokster paid $50 million to settle out of court and closed down the site pending a planned switch to licensed sales. But anti-piracy laws and their enforcement remain patchy in some parts of the world. Record companies, copyright holders' groups and artists are planning protests during Midem against a French move last month to legalize online file sharing. In a rebellion by lawmakers from the conservative ruling party, the French parliament approved amendments introducing a so-called "global license" — allowing Internet subscribers who pay an extra monthly fee to copy as much music as they like online. The government is seeking the amendments' withdrawal and is expected to announce compromise proposals in coming days. Despite the music industry's gloomy sales and outlook, almost 9,500 participants from 92 countries are registered to take part in Midem, which runs through Thursday. That's a 7 percent increase from 2005.

I just picked up this book the other day. So far, about 1/3 the way through, it is making a lot of sense, and giving some great approaches to keep from being overwhelmed by all the day to day stuff that collects on our plates.

I don't know about the origin of the terms "verse" and "refrain" for popular songs, but I've often thought that in many instances the verse acts almost like recitative in opera, coming before the aria. The verses tend to be rather wordy, not very interesting harmonically, but serve to simply set the mood for the refrain. There are certainly some verses that are quite beautiful (Stardust, Lush Life), and that's why they get performed more often. So I guess those exceptions prove the rule. As for Emily, I haven't seen any evidence of a pre-refrain verse. A quick google search (are you listening, G.W.?) showed a Barbra Streisand record called "The Movie Album", and the notes mention that she asked Johnny Mandel to "write another verse" for her, which I assume means another stanza of lyrics for the refrain. Even though I think Johnny Mercer wrote the original lyric.

Shelley Long Edith Head Alan K. Ball